• Chapter 1



    “Ellena, get your brother out of here!”

    “But, mother, I-I can’t leave you like this!”

    “Please, save yourself and your brother before it’s too late!”

    A baby wails as it is taken outside the cabin and laid down with the journey supplies. Ellena runs back inside to try to help her mother, only to see a horrific shock…

    * * * *

    Ellena wakes up with a start. With her heart pounding she gradually recovers. Ever since her mother’s death, she has been getting nightmares here and there. Ellena is one of the two surviving elves after the elf hunting stopped. At least, one of the two who remain in Mehcna. Of course, she isn’t certain that it stopped, because she is kind of wanted. She never did anything illegal; she’s a wykin for crying out loud! A wykin is kind of like a combination of a healer and an herbiest.

    When she finally recovered, she climbs down from her bed which is kind of like a hammock, but it doesn’t swing. She slides through a hole at the bottom of the oak tree where she pretty much lives aside from sleeping. Ellena dresses herself in a special type of dress. The dress is made of fabric that is impenetrable, changes to any color, shade, or pattern, even invisible, flameproof, and no matter the distance you fall, you won’t die from the landing. It’s also very light. As she brushes her long, beautiful, reddish light-brown hair, Norauth, her wolf- friend, walks in.

    “Oh, hello Norauth,” chimes Ellena.

    “Good Morning,” answers Norauth, “Are you alright, you look a little pale.”

    “I just had a rough night,” Ellena explains.

    “Ah, another nightmare?” Norauth inquires.

    Ellena sighs, “Yeah, how was your night, Norauth?”

    “Fine, just fine.” The wolf stretches for a moment.

    “Will Crystal be along?” she asks, “I have to make deliveries.”

    Meanwhile, a unicorn walks by the tree and waits. Ellena pokes her head out.

    “Ah, good, you came!” exclaims Ellena. Ellena climbs out and mounts Crystal, the unicorn and together they depart.

    First they stop at the secret Thieves City, and they chat with a family of people who are known for having vampirish blood. She is wearing a copper chain necklace, because there is a child who really craves blood a lot.



    * * * *

    Prince Charmont sits in his study planning the upcoming tournament, when Jarreth, the captain of the royal guard, walks in.

    “Ah, Jarreth, just the man I wanted to see; I have a task for you,” says the prince.

    “And what, might I ask, is this task?” Jarreth asks with a blank expression on his face.

    “I wish to extend an invitation to Wykin Ellena to come and discuss a certain matter over dinner.” Then Charmont chuckles evilly, which grows into an evil laugh, and Jarreth is a little disturbed right now.

    “Uh, sir, are you certain that you want to do that?” inquests Jarreth, “she can be very touchie when it comes to certain matters and she would probably refuse to come.”

    “Then, you tell her that she will regret it if she refuses,” retorts the prince.







    Chapter 2



    Now Jarreth is the only one of the royal guard that knows were Ellena lives. He comes to the tree and is greeted by Norauth; Ellena climbs out from under the tree with a puzzled look.

    “Hello Jarreth!” says Ellena cheerfully brushing the dirt from her skirt, “What brings you here?”

    Jarreth sighs, and she knows that it can’t be good.

    “His royal highness, Prince Charmont, wishes to extend an invitation to you for dinner to discuss a certain matter.”

    “And, do you know what is to be discussed, might I ask?” asks Ellena with an inquisitive look, in which she raises one eyebrow and the rest of her face is emotionless.

    “All he told me was that if you do not attend, you will regret it,” states Jarreth with a grave expression on his face.

    Ellena bursts out laughing. “What? Does he realize who he is dealing with? You can tell him that I said to go jump of a cliff!”

    “Okay,” replies Jarreth uncertainly.

    “And also, if he wants to talk with me, he will have to tell me the subject, and he will have to find me,” says Ellena, “Of course, you will not be helping him in any way shape or form. That would annoy me greatly, and you know how I am.”

    “Yeah, you have a point there,” chuckles Jarreth, “but, I have a bad feeling about this. He kind of disturbed me with the evil laughing.”

    Ellena raises one eyebrow, “Evil laughing? That’s a little obvious. Isn’t it? How did he laugh?”

    “Why do you need to know?” asks Jarreth.

    “I’m curious,” says Ellena.

    “Well, if you must know, he sort of chuckled and then it grew into a laugh,” answers Jarreth with a ‘weirded- out’ expression.

    Norauth shakes his head, “He is just plain messed up.”

    “Just about,” says Jarreth and Ellena in unison.

    “I wonder if the subject is the upcoming tournament,” ponders Ellena.

    “It wouldn’t surprise me,” replies Jarreth, “Charmont is running low on attractive women who would fit as ‘first prize’.”

    “Yeah, I really don’t like the idea of being won in a tournament,” states Ellena,”It’s degrading.”

    “Well, as much as I would enjoy to continue this conversation, I had best be off,” says Jarreth, “Goodbye everyone!”

    “Bye!”

    Jarreth goes to tell Ellena’s message and she goes back in the hole
    under the tree.

    * * * *

    “Derik, ve have been going in circles!” says a very angry woman who has a vampirish accent, “Are ve zere yet?!”

    “Almost,” says a man’s voice with a Gillegan accent, “Be patient, Luna.”

    “If you know exactly vhere ve are, zen vhy are ve going around in stupid circles?!!!” says the woman, whose name is, most likely, Luna.

    “To throw off anyone or anything following us,” answers the man, whose name is, most likely, Derik.

    Luna growls; her fangs gleam in the moonlight, “Is all of zis nece-,“ suddenly Luna and Derik are surrounded by a group of people who have various weapons, “Errrr, Hi? Eh, heh, heh, heh.”

    Derik calmly shows a mark on his right shoulder; all the people start murmuring. Then, one of them steps up and you see a spark of recognition in his face, “Derik? What are you doing in Mehcna?”